


Pink Leopard Chair

by SunnyGrove



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 08:00:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7214203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyGrove/pseuds/SunnyGrove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony really wants to get a look at the arm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pink Leopard Chair

The lift door opened onto the workshop floor and Tony strode out, engrossed in the tablet in his palm. He had a long list of work, pending deadlines and Pepper chasing him on the R+D yearly appraisals. It had all been put on hold with the recovery of the Winter Solider. Tony didn't want to get involved in a project, just to put it aside when Bucky was ready to have the arm examined ( or deconstructed, redesigned and upgraded and maybe a bit of tinkering, just a bit, on the side, wouldn't take long...).

He was ready to go at a moments notice. He'd spent quite sometime refurbishing a corner of the workshop so nothing about it evoked a feeling of being in Medical or a Nazi bunker. At the centre of the space stood a over sized chaise lounge in place of a operating table. It was shaped like a shoe, a lady's high heel stiletto It had a surprising amount of support struts and was ideal for grafting additions onto. Originally it came in either bright pink or leopard print fabric, but, billionaire, so neon pink and leopard print combined into an eye watering horror- it was perfect. 

Bucky hadn't seen it as yet, but no one could possible freak out/ revert back to Hydra programming while sitting on that chair. No one.

But they'd only managed to get Bucky to come to the workshop that one time, with the explicit agreement that all machines would be off, no one would touch the arm and all the team must be in attendance, armed and ready to take him down if needed. Bucky hadn't moved from the couch for the whole visit ( the one with sight lines to the doors and all the suits). The only glimmer of hope was Bucky's somewhat reluctant agreement after an hour in the workshop for Jarvis to be re-activated and the bots allowed off their charging stations. He had shown some interest in the bots, but otherwise it hadn't really led to Tony getting access to the arm.

He flicked up and down the project list again, looking for something that could whet his appetite for work without making him too involved to be ready for the arm. The arm! Tony couldn't wait  
His eyes hardly flicked up at all to take in the workshop security pad, but something caught in the corner of his eye. A cartoon style double take and open mouth later found Tony staring, wide-eyed into the workshop.

Bucky Barnes, late of Winter Solider fame, best friend to an American Icon, extremely volatile resident of Stark tower and possessor of that ARM, was in the workshop. Surrounded by the bots and, on closer inspection, seemed to be teaching them Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Tony took a moment. 

Then he took another.

'Jay? you seeing this too buddy?' he queried without taking his eyes off the scene playing out in the workshop. Dum-E seemed to have won a round and was celebrating by waving his arm around, only just missing Bucky's head. Bucky didn't even flinch.

'Indeed Sir, Mr.Barnes is in the workshop, he has been for some time.'

'Huh.' Tony grunted as he finally finished the movement to key in the door code.

Bucky didn't look up from where he was huddled with the bots but Dum-E broke away and came at top speed towards Tony.

'Whoa there you can of screws,' Tony dodged round his frame as Dum-E came to a shuddering stop and immediately stated waving his arm around at Tony, 'Yeah, yeah, I see, you have learned something new, I get it, no need to run me over, yeah, give me a second and I'll play along', the tablet was tossed at the nearest workbench, an eye flick to check Bucky was still engrossed (yeah, helping Butterfingers shape a claw in to an approximation of scissors).

'Ok, on three.'

 

After a stultifying 3 minutes of Rock, Paper, Scissor with a bot who obviously thought it was the best thing since 3in1, Tony finally turned to Bucky.

 

'To what do I owe the pleasure?' Tony knew as soon as he said it he'd hit the wrong note. The relaxed, playful stance of seconds ago bled from Bucky's frame, and the more regimented lines of the Solider started to emerge. Shit, shit, shit. 

Then Bucky took a deep breath, stroked a hand down Butterfingers frame and the tension melted away. He turned from Tony and then strode to the chair- the eye watering monstrosity -, sat down and turned to look at Tony.

 

'You make machines into people. I was a person made into a machine, guess you're the right person to help change me back.' Bucky said and Tony.......Tony didn't know what to address first.

A few false starts and some more staring and it turned out the first thing was-

'People, people? Which people? I haven't made any people. Well, I suppose there is a chance, but I was careful and anyway realistically they would have been here for the cash if nothing else so what I am saying here is that I have not made any people, in fact- "

'Ah, if I could interrupt Sir?' Jarvis said in a tone that Tony couldn't easily identify. Then it dawned on him what that tone might indicate. You know, if his AI was literally, suicidally stupid. Which he couldn't be because he was a super computer AI and therefore couldn't be that stupid.

'You told him didn't you Jay? You actually thought that would be good, someone knowing you were more than an AI, someone else knowing that you are all independent and in possession of the person-hood. Really Jay? Really?'

'Not just me I'm afraid Sir.' Jarvis' tone now more on the amused side and definitely bordering on smug.

'You didn't! You outed the bots too? Are you insane? What if it gets out, they'll dismantle the lot of you! Worst they could take you away and experiment!' Tony was winding himself up into an epic rant. This would be one to remember. Or it would have been if Bucky hadn't chosen that moment to rejoin the conversation.

'Stark,' his voice was quite, intense and just slightly too emotional.

'Do you think for one minute I would allow anyone to be taken for experimentation? Me? Especially one I think of as a friend? Really Stark?'

Tony took a moment. Maybe, just maybe, he should have paid a bit more attention to that first visit of Bucky's to the workshop. And any interaction with Jarvis. And Jarvis himself. And the bots.

He looked around, at the bots all crowded around Bucky, Jarvis pulling up scan data on to the main screens, U carefully fixing the Arm into the partial support, Butterfingers checking the tool tray and Dum-E leaning over Bucky's head to sweep a lock of hair out of his eyes. 

Tony didn't take another moment. The rest of it could wait. He had work to do finally - THE ARM was his!!!!

 

Just as he was sinking into the scans and the designs, seeing the glorious structure of it all, one last thought drifted across his mind-  
Maybe the chair hadn't been necessary after all.


End file.
